Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hughes for his question. The 300,000 small businesses in the construction industry annually contribute more than $50 billion to GDP. There are 2,359 small businesses in the construction industry in the member for Hughes's electorate. They make up 20 per cent of the number of small businesses in his seat.

The coalition government is absolutely committed to creating an environment for these construction small businesses to thrive, not one in which they are concerned for their livelihoods. We have passed the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Bill 2014. We have delivered on a key election commitment to improve the transparency of registered organisations.

However, the most critical part of successfully creating this environment is bringing back the Australian Building and Construction Commission, to tackle the bullying and to tackle the lost productivity and the threats from disgraced union members. The most critical part, absolutely, is doing this.

We heard from the minister for health, aged care and sport, talking about the Gold Coast and the Commonwealth Games construction a little earlier on. We of course remember what happened on the Gold Coast not that long ago—we heard the Prime Minister enunciate it, at this very dispatch box: the CFMEU official who said: 'I know your phone number. I know where you live.' And that sort of bullying and that sort of intimidation has to be outlawed. Mind you, the swearing that he continued with I will not repeat in this chamber.

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